Gears of War 2 takes the formula established by the original and polishes it to great effect. Everything from the pacing of the campaign, tuned difficulty, added weapons and enemies, and slew of multiplayer options demonstrates mastery in design that all action games aspire, yet precious few achieve. Not everything is rosy--chalk the poor story and lame characters as being yet another victim of cheesy game writing. That's excusable, though.

A success due to a number of reasons including an inspired artistic style that is simple but strikingly beautiful, characters that are both eccentric and charming, and a catchy soundtrack that you won't get out of your head.

Project Gotham Racing 4 is one of the rare racing games that have appeal across the board from simulation racers to those who prefer their racing to be a bit more on the arcade side.

In the end Madden 10 is the kind of game that I am willing to look past the shortcomings because what’s good is really, really good. It’s worth putting up with the faults in order to experience what works.

PopCap has done what modern science can't, made an insanely cheap time machine, capable of transporting you hours into the future with every match of a gem.

The fast and frenetic gameplay is a moment to pick up and many hours to master. Those with no gaming buds or a Live account are going to be disappointed, but just about everyone else is going to have a good time.

Rich visuals and loads of gameplay options ensure your experience will be a positive one, packed with simulated Formula One racing that is surprisingly accessible.

Superb graphics, great sound and unbeatable realism. There's not much more you can ask for in a racing game period.

From the opening attack on the restaurant that evokes the car chase that opened the original, to the game's focus on storytelling as much as killing, it's clear that the developers knew not to mess with a working formula. Even if some of the narrative moments fall short of the original, the new content and new powers more than make up for it. The Darkness II didn't knock its predecessor from the top of my list of favorite narrative shooters, but it comes in as a very close second.

This is an engrossing, attractive, dramatic, and entertaining game and one that you simply shouldn't miss.

It's also an important game for the 3DS in particular because it demonstrates the viability of a hardcore-oriented franchise as well as how powerful the 3D effect can be in creating a game environment.

In Orcs Must Die! a split-second of inattention can mean the difference between victory and defeat-but that's part of why it's such an exciting game.

This might be due to a simple lack of competition for the moment, but Sword of the Stars just plains ‘works’ and is one of the best epic space strategy games you can buy.

Army of Two: The 40th Day is dumb, goofy fun, but sometimes that’s just what the doctor ordered.

Red Faction Guerrilla’s unabashed destruction is so much fun that the lengthy load screens gave me an unfamiliar feeling of anxiety. I desperately wanted to move on to the next area and come up with a cool, entertaining way to execute a mission.

Stacked with Daniel Negreanu is the best Texas Hold 'Em videogame on the market currently. It lets you play cash games, single table and multi-table tournaments and online on all platforms.

At its core, this puppy has taken its serious sim roots, mixed in a few casual-friendly options and thrown in a plethora of content (both online and offline) to keep finicky gamers interested.

Like all the classic games that are a moment to learn and long in the mastering, We Love Katamari will find itself spinning in many gamers’ PS2s and will be the center of attention at your parties long after other games are on the shelf collecting dust.

If you're looking to check out a racing game that features some intense game play, gorgeous graphics, incredible physics, as well as some of the most entertaining mini games seen in a while, then Flat Out is definitely the way you'll want to go.

There just aren’t many complaints you can have with a game that is as deep, complex and thoroughly engrossing as Out of the Park Baseball 9.

After looking back at all these factors, it’s obvious to me that even when it faltered, Mythic poured every ounce of its soul into WAR.

As a gamer that has been burnt out by excessively cruel and repetitive dungeon crawlers in the past, the game never left me feeling overly drained and worn out. Chocobo’s Dungeon deserves at least a few hours of any adventurous Wii gamer’s time.

In a way, Desperate Struggle is the definitive example of a gamer's game – a work of self-gratifying passion that is absolutely engorged with style and intensity.

The game delivers a level of destruction that will make grown men giggle like a child and it is this level of interactivity that makes it special.

This is a heavy metal fairy tale, spun with love and copious amounts of good humor from Shafer and crew – and it’s every ounce the game fans hoped it would be.

World in Conflict is a game very much worth purchasing. You don’t even need to be a Ground Control buff to truly enjoy it, as the helpful tutorials and gradual difficulty curve will help ramp you right into the campaign, just in time to get deep into the thick of things in the versatile multiplayer engine. This one is a certified winner.

It’s unlikely that Rune Factory is going to make converts out of anyone who doesn’t already enjoy the series but it will certainly please longtime fans, especially those who felt like the series was growing stale.

Although a little player control is sacrificed, the amount of influence you have directly on your team’s positioning and the movement of the ball more than make up for it.

The game captures the magic of Jackson's film (and steps a little beyond it), looks great and gives you a gameplay ride that is lots of fun.

The developers have taken everything awesome about Goldeneye (the plot and characters), the N64 classic (great mission-based gameplay and phenomenal multiplayer) and current FPS titles (the mechanics, a modern multiplayer leveling system), trimmed all the fat, added a few layers of polish, and printed it on a disc.

Once again the developers at Harmonix have shown the gaming industry how it’s done.

A fresh and inspired fighting game.

Overall, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 is a relatively by-the-numbers enhancement of the previous game. Normally these sorts of increments would be frustrating, but considering the tremendous value the game presents to causal Magic fans it's easy to overlook another purchase when compared to the alternative. For the cost of a few booster packs, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 provides a balanced, enjoyable experience that Magic fans of all levels can enjoy – at least until next year.

Throw in some nice bells and whistles such as calling up die roll results charts and reference screens and Catan really gives you everything you need to play.

There's no shortage of puzzle games on XBLA, and structurally, Leedmees is competent and fun, but not revolutionary. However, given the art style and excellent use of Kinect controls – let alone the riotous multiplayer, Konami's awesome little experiment deserves a look.

It's great to see some real competition for THQ in this genre and MMA fans shouldn't hesitate to pick this one up.

At $30, the game is absolutely worth checking out. Not just for its look or its addictive qualities, but for the sheer, simple joy of getting to play with entirely new toys.

What Zero 4 is is a deeper experience with lots of tiny extras tacked onto the classic 2D style gameplay that all Blue Bomber fans enjoy.

Sam & Max Episode Six: Bright Side Of The Moon isn't the best game in the series, but it's a great ending to a season filled to the brim with fun moments and hilarious dialog.

A tremendously well done game.

Dead Space is most frightening when you’re backed into a corner and fighting for your life in the darkness, and absolutely awe-inspiring during the quiet moments of solitude. From major elements like the HUD-less display and the believably intricate machinery to the simplicity of a forgotten magazine, the attention to detail is absolutely staggering.

Sonic Rush pays tribute to the original game but also adds some welcome new features that really make this game more enjoyable than ever.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best Star Wars games ever made, regardless of the age group.

From Dust is the ideal Xbox Live Arcade game. It would be a tough sell as a retail product simply because it's so creatively constructed and hard to easily define, but as a 1200 MS Point download? It's not to be missed.

With so many publishers looking to cash in on the Wii’s success, it’s always nice to see a game appear that is nothing but quality from top to bottom—the fact that this game is ten bucks cheaper than other Wii offerings makes it an even sweeter deal.

As a story and a game, Peace Walker is wonderfully open-ended, encouraging you to replay missions, level up weapons, improve your staff, unlock gadgets, and even go online for head-to-head action or special recruitment missions.

The game is cute, well designed, well implemented and just the thing to show off your big brain to all of your friends.

I loved Alan Wake, but American Nightmare makes me more optimistic for its future and I'd really like to see Remedy pursue future installments on a smaller, episodic scale like this.

A game that’s easy to pick up and hard to put down, with a substantial amount of realistic action crammed into every high speed pursuit you engage in.

A complete joy to play and one of the best baseball games I’ve played in quite some time.

Let’s just say that the game looks great by PlayStation 2 standards. Double plays really feel like double plays – diving for grounders and the physics of the ball are amazing.

Like Trenched before it, Rock of Ages offers a fresh, action-oriented twist on the tower defense genre, along with a welcome, zany aesthetic. It's a curiosity, for sure, but if you enjoy the offbeat, you cannot go wrong here. Hats off to Atlus yet again for bringing something new and interesting to the table.

The combination of a compelling and ideological narrative with complex combat, not to forget the outright fun of collecting demons, makes Strange Journey an incredible addition to the series.

In the last couple of years, Nintendo has absolutely spoiled me (and other platformer fans) with amazing 2D games. While this year's crop cannot compare to Christmas 2010's unbeatable combo of Epic Yarn and Donkey Kong Country Returns, Return to Dreamland more than holds its own in a crowded arena. This is exactly what you look for in a Kirby game – and I know I'll be hopelessly addicted to it well into the new year.

It would be a finer experience without those nuisances, but they do little to diminish the sense of awe you feel when watching the sun rise over Jerusalem from atop the Dome of the Rock, drinking in the sight of the ancient city, and looking for your next victim.

Play. Create. Share. These three simple words make up developer Media Molecule’s little big blueprint for a charming and unique game that wonderfully brings out the creative side in people. Apparently there are already plans for a sequel, but I can’t imagine how the developers can possibly top this.

Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness stands side by side with the likes of Final Fantasy Tactics and Jeanne D'Arc as one of the best PSP games to hit the system in 2007.

For a game that is so entertaining, because of, or in spite of the copious amounts of gore, having a reason to pause and think at the end is the cherry on top of a brutally exciting, blood soaked sundae.

From start to finish, the single player campaign of Bound in Blood definitely provides one of the most memorable FPS gaming experiences of the year.

$30 is a fair price to pay for a truly excellent, old school platforming experience.

Underwhelming multiplayer is easily overlooked; however, issues with the camera are harder to forgive. Maintaining simple control over the view or providing a faultless automatic camera is a must for platform games and Super Mario Galaxy falls flat in this regard. Everything else works wonderfully.

As a pure driving game with neat car collecting and modifying elements, it's simply amazing and the level of passion for the subject on display makes calling it "cold" or "sterile" almost laughable- Forza Motorport 3 is much drier and far less human.

This game is just a blast to play – it's too bad there's no 2-player or cooperative mode via a link, but it's easily the best Game Boy Advance game I've played in quite some time.

There’s nothing incredibly new or earth shattering here, but you can absolutely enjoy it for the fighting game that it is.

In the end Madden 10 is the kind of game that I am willing to look past the shortcomings because what’s good is really, really good. It’s worth putting up with the faults in order to experience what works.

Cladun gives you more for your $20 than many games give you for $60 and does so in such an endearing fashion that you won't want to put it down. It absolutely should not be missed.

As a Viva Piñata first timer, I was totally at home right from the start. The game is pure, well-paced fun, with a great deal of variation and customization available.

It is a terrific game with an innovative control scheme that really has to be tried. My only concern is how silly I look while playing it in public.

If you are looking for a challenging platformer that will test your gamepad skill to its fullest – Prince of Persia isn’t that game. Still, despite its lack of overt difficulty, this game remains special, and while it didn’t take terribly long to finish, and replay value isn’t too high unless you get obsessed with seed collecting, it was definitely nine to ten hours well spent and is an adventure you should not miss.

There's nothing to Dissidia but the grind, and if you're looking for an epic adventure, you won’t find it here after the 20+ hour story mode is finished. But if you’re looking for something engrossing with great characters that’ll keep you playing for weeks, Dissidia: Final Fantasy is one of the top candidates for the PSP.

Just a very playable version of Tetris on your DS. The additional modes are fun for a little while, but I still found myself drawn back the standard mode that started it all.

All in all, don’t let the rather generic and short single player campaign deter you from picking up Bad Company 2. The multiplayer is a fantastic gaming experience and without a doubt it gives Modern Warfare 2 a run for its money.

BlazBlue is a new franchise that calls back to the cabinet. It’s what you’d expect out of, and it’s what you want in, a new 2D fighting game.

There are very few games that are this nerve-wracking and playing this game is akin to watching your favorite action-suspense-thriller TV show or movie and I say that as a compliment.

Yes, we can still dream of online leagues and a real franchise mode, but what we have here is very impressive, and gives you thanks that there’s no exclusive license in baseball.

Barring minor technical errors, The Homestar Ruiner is a great start for this episodic game. It’s funny, inexpensive, easy to play, and has replay value from the mini-games.

Undercover: Operation Wintersun may have its flaws, but that doesn’t prevent it from being a very satisfying exercise in espionage. Besides, with so many games being dumbed down to accommodate gamer’s allergic to a healthy challenge, it’s hard not to appreciate a title that demands more of players than simple blind clickery.

Just Cause 2 combines over the top action, a cheesy plot and voice acting, and an open sandbox world in all the right ways.

Prepare to get addicted all over again.

If the online play gets up and running, there’s no doubt that the game should be rated an ‘A’. You could even make a case for it as a system seller for any baseball fan—MLB The Show is just that good.

Although a lack of an infrastructure network mode is disappointing, there’s no doubt that the fun factor and replay value of the game are very high.

While Dead Rising 2: Case Zero could be considered a glorified demo, with its level progression capped at only five and the ability to carry over character stats to the full game, it is exactly what it set out to be. It's a pint size version of Dead Rising 2 to give people a taste of what the sequel will be along with a little back story.

This is the best hockey game ever made, and is a real feather in the cap for EA Sports in a year where the company literally doesn't have any competition on the Xbox 360 or PS3.

It's not a perfect game by any accounts, but it's by far one of the better titles in my collection, and one I'm proud to recommend to fans of either action or strategy games.

A rather interesting game with a pretty good ideology behind it and a reasonable amount of gameplay within it. At times the game can be frustrating with some overly difficult battles but over all, it is a rather enjoyable experience and the way the missions are set up, it really is perfect for the casual gamer.

This is an exciting, adrenaline-pumping game that I think fans of everything from Hydro Thunder to Star Fox 64 could get into and enjoy, if only they knew it existed. Definitely a sleeper, and definitely worth your time.

In the end, though, none of this simplification really matters all that much. Sure, this smaller scope may diminish the game's scale, but it doesn't diminish its impact, as Mass Effect 3 is ultimately only slightly - and not always that noticeably - less fun than Mass Effect 2 (and is still a slight bit better than the original).

A great example of what's possible on the DS, despite the fact that the game really doesn't go out of its way to utilize many of the DS' marquee technologies. The game is wonderful simply because it delivers a pure unadulterated classic Castlevania experience that looks great and plays like a dream.

To be fair there are a lot of changes and tweaks made to the NHL 11 design, but many of them are so small to be nearly unnoticeable. As great as NHL 12 is, and it is a great game, it's not a giant leap from NHL 11. Is that enough to warrant another $60? Only you can answer that one.

What you need to know is that this is a blisteringly paced, funny, addictive game that never lets up.

If you already experienced the PlayStation 2 version the added content is enough to make another romp in the schoolyard worth your time and money.

Once again the developers at Harmonix have shown the gaming industry how it’s done.

Taken in the recommended small doses, there's tons of play value in this 800 MS point title. Fans of classic shooters shouldn't pass up this opportunity to play one of the looniest and best examples of the genre.

A fun, bright and colorful world filled with lots of oddballs and cut-ups that make the overall presentation a lot of fun to play through - despite the actual role-playing being an average experience.

The pacing in Oblivion is better; things get interesting much quicker which leads to a faster sense of accomplishment.

Red Faction Guerrilla’s unabashed destruction is so much fun that the lengthy load screens gave me an unfamiliar feeling of anxiety. I desperately wanted to move on to the next area and come up with a cool, entertaining way to execute a mission.

A must buy for fans of the series and a serious look for those that have always wondered why the series is regarded by many as the best fighting game out there.

And that's what Monday Night Combat is -- an enjoyable team based shooter, and for 1200 points ($15) it's hard to ask for much more than that.